Reassessing Classic Maya Identity and the Southern Edge of Mesoamerica

Summary

Certain classes of material culture found in Honduras and El Salvador have long been recognized as being related to "Maya style" artwork and artifacts from Copan and Classic Maya cities to the north and west. These objects have been framed through questions of "influence", ethnicity, and boundaries. The recent re-analysis of a ceramic flask from Tazumal, with an unusual inscription tying the object to a Copan king and imagery of tribute, suggests a more distinct political lens through which to view influence and interaction on the southeastern edge of the Maya world. The nature of other "Maya" objects found south and east of Copan not only clarifies possible political and cultural relationships in this region, they also isolate aspects of what may have been recognized and performed by people of the first millennium CE in Central America as the entity later labeled as "Maya". By examining the kinds of objects used to perform or express "Mayaness" on a potential boundary area, the nature of "Mayaness" comes into view.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 21483